Dr Smoke

Thursday, September 12, 2019

We are cooking on a chimney starter with a grill pan to nicely char our head of Cauliflower for this recipe!

A cousin to broccoli,
#cauliflower is one of those vegetables that can be eaten raw or cooked
and converted to so many different textures. Best yet, cauliflower is
one of those super cancer-fighting foods as it contains sulforaphane
known to kill cancer stem cells.

I’ll be taking my head of cauliflower and introducing it to hot coals, first, direct heat
using a #chimneystarter for the actual cooking and then directly on the
hot coals to give it the perfect “meat” char. No matter what color you
enjoy – white, yellow, purple – grab a head and get your chimney
starter ready, as I show you how to use a chimney starter as an actual
grill.

Why a Chimney Starter

There
are times when you really don’t need to fire up a full charcoal area of
coals on the charcoal grill. I have the perfect solution when you’re
doing just a small quantity of a food, like our head of cauliflower.
To start, I place a mesh screen on the charcoal grill
grate to help retain the small, hot coals for cooking. I have a
collection of micro charcoal pieces that work perfectly for this type of
cooking.

After lighting a Firestarter, I place the charcoal
filled chimney starter on top of the Firestarter and allow the coals to
burn down to hot embers. Hot embers are what I will be using to cook my
fresh cauliflower, first, directly on the chimney starter, then on the
mesh screen once I dump the hot embers from the chimney starter.

Prep and Cook

Cauliflower
is so simple to prepare for chimney starter coal cooking. Just remove
the thick stem and the green leaves, then cut in half. I’ll be placing a
griddle pan directly over the chimney starter for the start of the
cooking. I first drizzle a couple of tablespoons of a high heat
tolerant oil over the cauliflower (I’m using avocado oil). Allow that
to cook while you melt butter which will be poured over the
cauliflower. I melt the butter directly on the grill while the
cauliflower is cooking. Allow this to char the cauliflower on the
griddle for about 12 minutes. We just want enough tenderness to allow
the direct coal cooking to provide the flavor.

Embers Give Char Flavor

After
the cauliflower has produced some tenderness while direct cooking over
the chimney starter, it’s time to remove the griddle pan and dump the
hot coals onto the mesh. You’ll see I’ve placed a large wood chunk just
off the hot coals to produce some additional wood-fired flavor. Now in
goes the cauliflower steaks. I position them right on the hot coals.
Don’t turn or disturb these pieces for a least 8 minutes at which time,
flip the cauliflower to char the other side. This is what produces the
fabulous “meaty” char taste and why cauliflower is done on the grill is
often referred to as a cauliflower steak.

If you will use the
cauliflower in a recipe, then cooking about 12 minutes on the coals will
be enough. If enjoying as is, then cook slightly longer and enjoy.
This truly is the easiest method of cooking a single head of cauliflower
for a true char flavor. Which I will be taking to a cauliflower rice
recipe that’s coming up!

Have you ever cooked directly on a
chimney starter? Leave us a comment to share. Bringing innovation to
wood-fired cooking with recipes, techniques and the science behind the
fire, smoke, and flavor. That’s SmokinLicious®.

Thursday, September 5, 2019

These finished smokey baked apples are a wonderful fall treat! Easy to do on the gas grill with a two-zone cooking method with wood chunks.

Apple
season is here and I’ve found some beauties to make a simple but super
sweet and flavorful recipe. And of course, I’m taking it to the grill
to let the apple get a kiss of smoke while tenderizing. With so many
varieties of apples available, you can pick your favorite and use this
filling for the perfect stuffed apple.

In my home state of New
York, there are over 25 varieties of apples. Since these can be cold
stored, they are available year-round but there is nothing like the
fresh harvest. In fact, controlled atmosphere storage was pioneered in
New York State.

Whether served as the dessert or a sweet side dish
is up to you but either way, you’re going to love the ease of making
this dish and consuming all its seasonal goodness. Pick your favorite
variety of apple and get ready to stuff them with goodness everyone is
going to love! Smokey baked apples done on the grill, cleanup is a breeze!

Apple Preparation

I’ll
be using my gas grill for this recipe so I start by lighting only half
the burners on my grill which I’ve added a smoker box that contains 3 hardwood chunks.
This will provide for the great smoke flavor to the apples. While the
grill heats up to about 375°F, I prepare the Macintosh apples. First,
wash and pat dry the apples. You can use an apple corer to remove the
core but note you do not want to produce a clean hole through the entire
apple. We want to produce an opening for adding the stuffing but we
don’t want it to run out of the apples. I like to use a small, sharp
knife, cut into the apple stem end about ¾-inch from the stem making a
circle. Remove the core membrane and seeds leaving a firm base to the
apple for filling.

Tasting Notes: Although I’ve
selected Macintosh apples to know any variety will do. Just note, if
the apples are significantly larger, you will need to make an additional
filling.

Sweet Stuffing

With
our apples cored, it’s time to make the sweet filling before heading to
the grill. First, know I like to use a disposable foil pan to make
clean up a breeze. In that pan, I place a roasting rack so the apples
will be exposed to radiant heat all the way around the apple. I’m
making ten stuffed apple but I will give you the ingredients needed for
making eight apples.

Place 1 stick of softened butter in a bowl.
Add 1 cup of light brown sugar, ½ cup chopped pecans, and 1-1/2
teaspoons of ground cinnamon. I prefer to mix this with my hand to
ensure good distribution of the ingredients. Taking a small amount of
the mixed filling, I form a log shape and insert into the apple opening,
pressing down to make sure this is filled to the top of the apple.
Once all the apples are filled, I head to the grill with my pan.

Tasting Notes: The
stuffing for this apple recipe can be easily modified. Feel free to
swap the pecan for another nut like walnut, hazelnut or almond. For
spices, consider adding ginger, allspice, and clove either in addition
to or in place of the cinnamon.

No Fuss Grilling

Once
at the grill, I check to ensure my wood chunks are smoking well. I
place my pan of prepared apples on the unlit side of the grill and pour
enough water into the pan to coat the bottom by about 1-inch. This will
allow moisture into the cooking area to get the apples very tender in a
short amount of time. I usually check the apples after 45 minutes and
rotate the pan if needed. When the apples are tender and the filling
browned, these are ready and can be removed from the
grill-#grilledapples.

Tasting Notes: Note that
if you elect to use a charcoal grill the smoke infusion produced will be
stronger. You are encouraged to still use a two-zone set up on the
charcoal grill to keep the sugars from burning.

Serve ‘Em Up

Once the apples are tender and the filling browned, it’s time to remove the apples
and prepare to serve them. There are many options for an accompaniment
to the apples. Today, I’m using a vanilla bean ice cream that I’ve
sliced into wedges. Certainly, the apples can be served with whipped
topping, another flavor of ice cream, a vanilla custard or pudding, or
even a slice of hard or rind cheese. These are best if served warm.
Don’t forget, if any filling is left, add to a pureed squash for another
great recipe. That’s why I always make extra!

Thursday, August 29, 2019

The SmokinLicious® culinary crew’s two-zone cooking method set up to smoke Fava Beans on the Gas grill with Wood chunks!

We all know that the key to easy
and successful outdoor cooking is to control the temperature. I also
believe that outdoor cooking should not hold you hostage at the grill.
That’s why everyone should learn the two-zone cooking method for
grilling.

Let’s cover what type of cooking you can do by this method, why it’s so successful, and how to set up the zones.

Why Two-Zone is Best

Two-zone cooking can be done on any type of grill no matter the fuel source. What is two-zone cooking?
Using the fuel source on only half the grill while the other half holds
the food. Although you may use the unlit side of the grill for most of
the cooking, you have the benefit of finishing crispy skins of items or
quick cooking thinner cuts of meats on the direct heat side.

Two-zone cooking is also called direct and indirect cooking.
The indirect side uses indirect convection heat to cook the food which
means the heat generated by the lit side radiates into the material of
the equipment and produces heat (convection heat) on the unlit side.
The direct side produces the heat within the unit and can be used when
quick cooking is needed or when a food that has been cooked on the
indirect side needs crisping, additional coloring, or some char.

Set Up a Two-Zone

The
primary reason you want to set up two-zone cooking is most of the grill
cooking does not require direct heat. When you consistently cook
foods, especially meats, over direct heat, you easily can have dried,
stiff, flavorless results. This is due to the components of meat
reacting at different temperatures that with direct cooking occur too
fast to react.

I will tell you that you need a grilling area that
is large enough to establish two zones. I judge the space needed with a
rectangular, disposable foil pan. If the pan can fit on half the grill
area without issue, then you have plenty of room for a two-zone setup.
When using a gas grill, this means lighting the burners on one half of
the grill. If you don’t have an even number of burners, then decide
how many are to be turned on and how many left off. With a charcoal
grill, placing the hot coals on only half the charcoal area. On an
electric unit, if you can manipulate the heating element, isolate the
element to one side of the unit. The temperature that works ideally for
two-zone cooking is 225°F. Of course, I always add wood chunks to give a smoky flavor to the foods. Remember, the hardwood goes on the direct side of the grill or lit burner or hot coals.

Note
that you can also use a water pan using two zones. This can be placed
on either side of the grill depending on when you need the direct heat
side. Keep in mind, when doing meats, it’s great to place a pan under
the meat with vegetables (onions, potatoes, celery, peppers, etc.) and a
small amount of liquid that can collect the meat renderings. You can
also place pans of beans to catch those drippings. Anything is fair
game.

For those times when you don’t want to add any additional
foods, you can simply lay a thin foil pan under the grill grate of the
indirect side or a sheet of foil. That will collect any fat drippings.

Cook Anything!

Since
radiant heat is what you are cooking with when foods are placed on the
indirect side, you can cook anything. I love doing tarts and cakes via
this method, especially during the hot months when you don’t want to
lite your indoor oven. In fact, those are the times that I cook an
entire meal using a two-zone setup.

You can also cook multiple items using both direct and indirect heat.
A long cooking meat goes on the indirect side, is cooked to temperature
and held there, while a side dish is cooked on direct heat. Don’t
forget, if the cookware you use is high heat tolerant, you can use
cookware as well. This is how I can make cakes, tarts, and bread on the
grill. You need to view this equipment like an oven as that is
essentially what it is!

Use Like an Oven & Walk Away

I’m
going, to be honest. Although it’s true that you can produce more
moist foods using a two-zone method the real reason I love this method
of cooking is I can walk away from the grill. This is particularly true
when using a gas grill which holds the temperature steady, which for
me, is 250°F for long cook meats and regular baking temperatures for all
my cookies, cakes, tarts, bread. Remember, charcoal grills will still
require you to refuel so the temperature can fluctuate more if you’re
not careful. Keeping an extra chimney starter of charcoal going will
solve that issue.

As a final note, even though two-zone cooking
allows you more time away from the grill, you still need a good digital
thermometer to monitor the temperature of the food. Invest in an easy
read one and you’ll really enjoy this new way of grilling and smoking.

Thursday, August 22, 2019

We served our Best Gingerbread from the Grill as a dessert! The grilled smoky flavor was too Tasty for a Gingerbread house!

Gingerbread is one of those terms
that are generic in the definition for a broad category, in this case,
something made from ginger, cinnamon, clove, and a sweetener like
molasses and sugar. Although “bread” is in the name it can produce
great cakes, cookies, bars, and of course, bread.

One of the reasons gingerbread is ideal for cooking on the grill is because it contains bold flavors of spices and molasses. I’ll be taking a traditional recipe for gingerbread and introducing the cooking to the grill that I’m equipping with wood chunks for a unique wood flavoring.

You’re
going to love the dense, flavorful result that is the perfect recipe to
keep on hand for those unexpected and expected guests.

#Two-Zone Cooking

If you follow my gas grill recipes, then you know I am a fan of the two-zone cooking method.
By lighting the burners on only half the grill and placing the food on
the unlit side, I can guarantee controlled temperature that allows me to
walk away as I do with my indoor oven.

I start by preheating my
grill by lighting the burners on just one side. I want a cooking
temperature of 325°F so I’ll set the dials to low. On the lit side, I
also add a metal smoker box that contains 3 wood chunks. By the time my
batter is mixed, the wood chunks will be smoking for the cooking of the
gingerbread.

Quick Batter

First,
I butter and flour an 8-inch square cake pan and set aside (you can use
the non-stick cooking spray if you prefer). There is only one mixing
bowl needed for this recipe to combine the following ingredients and
beat until combined well, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed:

2-1/3 cups all-purpose flour

½ cup shortening

1/3 cup sugar

1 cup molasses

¾ cup hot water

1 tablespoon crème Fraiche

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

¾ teaspoon salt

1 egg

Once mixed, pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and get ready to put it on the grill.

Tasting Notes: My
non-traditional ingredient is the addition of the crème Fraiche. I use
this only when making a cake or loaf as if used for cookie batter, this
would be too thin. Remember, there are many variations to a
gingerbread recipe. Bolder flavors can be produced through the addition
of ground clove and nutmeg. For sweeter versions, adding honey or
condensed milk. Remember, molasses was used in baking centuries ago as a
means of saving money due to the high cost of sugar.

Gingerbread Grilling

With the batter poured, we are ready to wood grill the cake.
Place the prepared pan on the unlit side of the grill, making sure that
the grill’s temperature is close to 325°F. Now you can walk away for
about 35 minutes. Return at that point to simply rotate the cake pan
and ensure the cake is cooking evenly. If the wood chunks are
completely black, you may want to add a couple of more. Total
grill-baking time will be 50-55 minutes. Remove from the grill and cool
the cake on a wire rack. Cut into squares and serve warm or cold.

Tasting Notes: I
prefer to serve this version of gingerbread with butterscotch sauce and
whipped topping but other choices include melted semi-sweet chocolate,
orange sauce, and even a cream cheese frosting.

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Our drawing of the typical offset smokers, which come in a variety of sizes! Study our Smokers list

For those that have followed us for years, you know we are proud that
almost from the start of our Company, we were committed to providing a
guide for equipment to cooking wood product match. We refer to our
guide affectionately as “Match Your Cooker”.

In this article, we are covering our recommendations for smoker equipment; these are cookers that are dedicated for use as a smoker, usually hot smoking
at that. As there are always new equipment lines and models released,
our plan is to provide regular updates. We also encourage you to send
us a message when you don’t see a manufacturer or model listed so we can
add this to our listing.

For now, we introduce you to our wood master’s guide to SmokinLicious®cooking woods for specific smokers.

Thursday, August 1, 2019

I’ve been pumpkin picking! I
found a sweet pumpkin that will be perfect for making a pumpkin butter
that will have a wood flavoring due to my grill roasting method on the
gas grill. When you make pumpkin butter, it’s crucial that you select a
variety of pumpkin that is designed to be cooked. My choice was a
variety of “cow” pumpkin, known for its super sweet flesh and great
creaminess for cooking.

Pumpkin
is packed with nutritional value including a high level of Vitamin A
and C, antioxidants, folate, and has a low caloric level. And, yes,
they are rich in fiber.

Get to the pumpkin patch and find one or
two sweet gems to bring to the grill for a wood fired sensation that
makes for great pumpkin butter.

Quick Preparation

I’ll be using my gas grill for this recipe which means two-zone cooking
which is really the only way I grill. I need to start by lighting only
half the burners on my grill which I’ve added a smoker box to that has
three double filet hardwood chunks from SmokinLicious®. This will provide for the great smoke flavor to the pumpkin flesh.

While
the grill heats up to about 300°F, I prepare the pumpkins. First, wash
and pat dry the pumpkins. With a small, sharp knife, cut into the
pumpkin about 1-inch from the stem making a circle. Remove the stem top
and scoop out the seeds. You can reserve the seeds to bake or grill,
including placing the seeds in a pan on the upper rack while the
pumpkins wood roast. Once the pumpkins are clean, drizzle about 3
tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil on the pumpkin flesh and the stem
top. Place the pumpkins in a heat tolerant pan. You can grill roast
with the stem tops in place or laid in the pan as separate pieces. I’ll
be putting my stem tops back on the pumpkins. Now the grill should be
pre-heated for wood roasting.

Tasting Notes: Other
varieties of sweet pumpkin to consider include will usually be labeled
sugar pumpkins or pie pumpkins. However, other names to be on the
lookout for include: Baby Pam, Baby Bear, Autumn Gold, Ghost Rider,
Lumina, Cinderella, Winter Luxury, and Fairytale.

Dark and Sweet

Once
the pumpkins have been cleaned and seeded, it’s time to get them
roasting on the grill with hardwood for added flavor. I simply place my
pan with the pumpkins on the unlit side of the grill, while my smoker
box of wood chunks is placed directly on the heat shields of my lit
burners.

Next, I let the pumpkins roast at 300°F for 50 minutes without
disturbing them. I do a check of the wood chunk pieces after 35
minutes and replenish if they have carbonized or turned black
completely, as that means they are no longer producing flavonoids.

Once
I can insert a knife point into the pumpkin flesh without resistance, I
know the pumpkins are ready. You’ll see that they become a deep
bronzy-brown coloring on the outside while the flesh becomes deep
orange. I remove the pumpkins from the grill and allow to cool until I
can handle them. Then I scrap all the flesh from the skins into a
blender.

Creamy Pumpkin Butter

Although this is called a “butter” it technically is a fruit spread
that is used like a butter on breads, pancakes, and crackers. To make
the butter, add ¼ cup of apple cider to the pumpkin flesh in the blender
and blend until a thick paste is formed. To that, add 1/3 cup brown
sugar, 3 tablespoons honey, 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar, ¾ teaspoon
cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ginger, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon ground
nutmeg and a pinch of ground cloves. Process until smooth. Since I’ve
wood roasted two pumpkins, I’m doubling the recipe ingredients.

Transfer
the blended pumpkin mixture to a saucepan and bring to a simmer over
medium heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to low and allow
the mixture to reduce by 1/3 and turn dark in color. Total time should
be 25 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

I usually refrigerate my pumpkin butter
at this point or even divide into individual jars for gifting or just
to simplify the quantity put out on the table. Today, I’m serving this
pumpkin butter with some hot yeast rolls but there are plenty of other
uses. Think about folding it into whipped cream for a mousse-like
dessert, use it as an additive to a sauce or soup, or even make your own
yogurt flavor by adding to plain yogurt. The best part, you can use
different varieties of pumpkin to produce different flavors.

Tasting Notes: One
benefit of winter squashes is that there are many flavors that you can
add. Although I’ve gone traditional by incorporating cinnamon, ginger,
nutmeg and clove, you can also consider using turmeric, cumin, chili
powder, garam masala, Chinese Five Spice, sage, and even vanilla bean
paste. Experiment and you’ll find a flavor blend that is perfect.

Thursday, July 25, 2019

If you’ve ever looked at the wood
chips for smoking products available at most discount retail stores,
you’ll notice that they seem to have consistent pricing in the $3.99 or
less bracket. Yet, you look at the SmokinLicious® brand and come up with a price that’s close to twice the cost. What’s the deal with the price difference?

There
are many factors involved in determining the retail price of wood chips
many of which I’m sure the average consumer hasn’t considered. What exactly are you paying for when you select a specific wood chip brand?

Let me give you some insight.

Let’s Start with the Raw Material

The
raw material is by far the largest cost factor with selling wood chips
for grilling, smoking, and cooking in general. I’ll make the comparison
to cotton purchased by a t-shirt manufacturer. There are grades of
cotton. Higher grades of cotton go into more expensive cotton
clothing. Purchase a $5 t-shirt and you’re guaranteed a lower grade
cotton was used. This means you likely won’t get more than a year of
consistent wearing and washing out of that $5 t-shirt!

The same is
true for wood chips. There are 8 different grades of wood or lumber
for purposes such as cabinet making, flooring, construction, and
pallets. Only one culinary wood company specifically purchases raw lumber material for cooking wood manufacture only. That would be SmokinLicious®.

Other
companies will do one of three things; have a primary business in one
of the areas listed above and use the waste product for producing the
wood chips, or, purchase another company’s waste product to market as a wood chip grilling and smoking wood, or,
have the company with waste product package a private label brand of
grilling and smoking chips and deliver to a centralized distribution
warehouse for the brand, something commonly done by equipment
manufacturers who feel a need to offer a wood chip to go with the
equipment.

Cleanliness of the Manufacturing Process

Another
key factor in cost is the handling of the material during the
manufacturing process. Now I understand that we are talking about wood
and not a food item.
However, if you are using a wood to add flavoring to food through smoke
vapor from burning wood, then I see the wood as an ingredient. As with
any ingredient, I would prefer to use something that is clean and pure
since I will be eating this.

Since I’ve already pointed out that
many companies use materials that are labeled as waste wood, you have no
idea how the waste material was collected, stored, moved, and
processed. You also don’t know what’s in that waste wood
(treated lumber pieces, a mix of woods, some softwoods) or how old that
material is which directly affects the moisture level. Remember,
moisture is needed to smolder the wood and produce smoke vapor.SmokinLicious® is the only culinary wood manufacturer that is Kosher certified, attesting to the steps taken to ensure the culinary products are clean, clean stored, and preserved.

Varieties and Availability

One
means of keeping cost down is to offer chips that have not been
debarked, have not had any mold spores removed, or for that matter dirt
and debris. The entire log piece may be placed in a grinding unit which
will generate an assortment of chip sizes as well as the dust that
comes with this single equipment use. Honestly, you can’t be sure you
are getting 100% of the wood listed on the package when these locations
are generating extreme volumes of rough grind chip product. The company
may simply call it a hardwood chip and not state what hardwood is in
the mix. Remember, only specific hardwoods should be used in grilling
and smoking.

Of course, the variety of wood also can increase the
cost. Remember, there are many uses for a wood including the export
demand to other countries outside of North America. As with any
commodity, higher demands translate to higher cost. Hickory is one of
those hardwoods that has become very expensive in the market as the wood
is used for railroad ties, utility company pavers to get into mountain
ranges, and heavily purchased by the Asian market for a purpose that is
not clear.

Cost of Manufacturing

Both
the labor involved making the chip product and the location that the
chips are manufactured in play a role in determining the cost of the
final product. Again, if the chip product is the result of another
manufacturing level of the wood like making cabinets, then by using the
scrap wood for the “chip” product, the overall cost of the chip product
will be lower as labor and manufacturing costs can be covered by the
initial cabinet making.

If, however, there is no other
manufacturing purpose for the wood other than a wood chip production,
all manufacturing costs are directed to that chip product. Then there
is the question of where the chips are manufactured. Here are some
minimum wage costs by the state that will certainly play a role in the
final product cost: New York State $10.40, New Jersey $8.60, Texas
$7.25, Florida $8.25, Wisconsin $7.25, Michigan $9.25.

Other costs
that factor in include: how the chips are packaged, the moisture level
of the product which directly determines the weight, how the wood is
treated for both drying and for pest control, and if there is a
screening of the chips to remove wood dust and make the chips more
uniform.SmokinLicious® developed over a 3-year
period a specialized screen process which allows us to offer 7 different
grind levels of wood chips, all bark-free, all from the heartwood of
the hardwood only, and all dust free.

Perhaps it’s time you take a
closer look at that package of $3.99 wood chips and see where it is
manufactured, who manufactures it, what the contents of the bag include,
and what weight there is to the product. Now that you’re educated on
how to assess the value of your next wood chip purchase, the choice will
be up to you.